Fitness Loss in 6 Weeks? (Read 710 times)

Thanks to that I am currently in a long arm cast with orders to do NOTHING (not even recumbent "nowhere bike") until at least the new year, when I might get a short arm cast with waterproof liner that would allow sweating and showering.

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So I might be totally off of all activity for 5-6 weeks. Hopefully no longer than that...I might have to punch the ortho with my good arm if that is the case.

My fitness this Fall has already been beaten down by a couple weeks of lower back Hell followed by lower respiratory evil. I'm also dreading serious loss of hand and arm strength, which could put a serious damper on mountain bike and cyclocross racing plans for '13. I am registered for a HM in early April and maybe another 6 days later...kinda expecting those to be death marches.

On the bright side, it's really easy to lose weight when bonking is of no concern. I'm already making eyes at my skinny jeans/pants.

'16 Goals:

• Do some dus...and some CX...and some tandem gravel...and some podiums...

Thanks, that gives me hope. In the month or so prior to crash I was logging ~10-12 miles/week of running and 50 or so on the bike...about half or third of the minimum miles I put in on the bike in a typical week during the summer. I will be happy if I can start back at 7-8 miles in a week on-foot, at this rate.

'16 Goals:

• Do some dus...and some CX...and some tandem gravel...and some podiums...

I took 5 weeks off earlier this summer. I paced for 12 hours at Sawtooth Superior 100 a month after my first day back. A few weeks after that I was running 50mpw again. However, I'm back to being injured. I tried to come back too quickly. My cardio came back fast, but I just felt tired after my runs for a while. Normally a nice 7-8 miler would be invigorating, but they left me exhausted.

My cardio came back fast, but I just felt tired after my runs for a while. Normally a nice 7-8 miler would be invigorating, but they left me exhausted.

This is sort of what I'm expecting...that my lungs will know what to do, but my muscles/endurance will take more time to recover. I expect my right arm/hand will really be deal-breakers for a while on the bike. On the bright side, riding outdoors will be pretty sucky until close to April. Hopefully in that time I will be able to rebuild some strength while on the trainer. Braking and shifting will likely be things I won't be able to do for a while. Fortunately, my plans were to focus on running through early April. I may be running my planned 1-2 HMs simply to finish, which is fine. I wasn't really shooting for PRs, anyhow.

'16 Goals:

• Do some dus...and some CX...and some tandem gravel...and some podiums...

When you're cleared to start some workouts, steady-state walking on a treadmill set for a hefty incline for 45 - 60 minutes will really help the aerobic come back quickly. Only the actual running or biking will get the muscle fitness back. That's been my experience -- I can get the lungs back with treadmill or elliptical work, but not the legs.

I've done my best to live the right way. I get up every morning and go to work each day. (for now)

camille2

posted: 12/11/2012 at 11:26 AM

I've had several times when I've had to be off for a while, including once for a broken arm. I've found I do lose fitness, but not as much as I expected. I'd start easy and be able to get back to normal after about 6 weeks. I'm not typically a high milage runner though. 20's to 30, usu.

These stories seriously made my week! Tomorrow my new cast-friendly polar fleece cape should arrive and weather looks decent, so I plan to start walking. Ortho said nothing about walking and weight bearing, low impact activity has to be better for my bones (and psyche) than sitting around bored.

'16 Goals:

• Do some dus...and some CX...and some tandem gravel...and some podiums...

Thanks to that I am currently in a long arm cast with orders to do NOTHING (not even recumbent "nowhere bike") until at least the new year, when I might get a short arm cast with waterproof liner that would allow sweating and showering.

<---

So I might be totally off of all activity for 5-6 weeks. Hopefully no longer than that...I might have to punch the ortho with my good arm if that is the case.

My fitness this Fall has already been beaten down by a couple weeks of lower back Hell followed by lower respiratory evil. I'm also dreading serious loss of hand and arm strength, which could put a serious damper on mountain bike and cyclocross racing plans for '13. I am registered for a HM in early April and maybe another 6 days later...kinda expecting those to be death marches.

On the bright side, it's really easy to lose weight when bonking is of no concern. I'm already making eyes at my skinny jeans/pants.

I had back surgery in 2004 and my fitness tanked horribly, but I was in bed for two weeks and I'd had various drugs as you'd expect. However, my fitness did bounce back much quicker than I'd expected.